


Beyond the Lighthouse

by wontonto



Series: MatsuHana Fluff Week 2020 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, alternatively titled: in which matsukawa issei discovers he's a monster fucker, but then my brain was like BITCH NO MERMAN AU, i was going to do a florist/tattoo au bc i love those, merman au, so merman au it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27098878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wontonto/pseuds/wontonto
Summary: Matsukawa Issei is a lighthouse keeper, which is a lonely job. He doesn't mind it, but sometimes he does wonder if there's more to life than just making sure the light is always running correctly so ships can dock safely. He doesn't want to entertain thoughts of the supernatural or fairy tale creatures because he doesn't think it's worth his time. Until he actually meets one.
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei
Series: MatsuHana Fluff Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976155
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32
Collections: Matsuhana Fluff Week 2020





	Beyond the Lighthouse

Matsukawa Issei wasn’t one to believe in the supernatural or old seamen’s tales. He had to keep his sanity somehow, being a lighthouse keeper, and thinking that there were people and/or monsters living in the ocean wasn’t going to do that for him. But sometimes, during the time right before sunrise, he’d sit on the craggy peninsula rocks, watching the ocean slowly get lit up, and he could swear he heard singing. 

It could just be him going crazy from the lack of human contact for long periods of time, but there was something about the melodies that just... resonated with him. It was simultaneously haunting and yet welcoming. It was like the ocean was calling out to him, to come and play. 

He’d always snort at the thought and turn right back to his lighthouse, ready to go to bed and then prep for the next night. 

Sometimes he’d meet up with seamen when he went into town, and they’d all ask him if he heard the strange voices coming from the sea the night before, but he couldn’t answer their questions. Even if they were right and there was singing coming from beneath the waves, what good would it do any of them? Issei was pretty much convinced that all of them were slowly going insane from breathing too much salty air or something. 

One night, once again near sunrise, he trekked down to what he called the beach, but it was really just a rocky peninsula that jutted out into the ocean. It was almost like a natural boat pier, if the rocks weren’t so deadly. He sat down, leaning against a log, his elbows on his knees as he looked out at the lightening ocean. It was a sight he’d never get sick of. Sure, sunsets were really pretty, but something about sunrises just made him feel alive. Perhaps it was the calls of the seagulls as they started to wake up and go about their own days. Maybe it was the way the sun would hit the waves as they crested in a beautiful arc. He wasn’t sure, but it was always a welcome feeling. 

He closed his eyes and breathed in the sea air, taking in the soothing crash of the waves against the rocks, and let all the air out in a huge sigh. “Another day down,” he muttered to himself. 

He stood up and stretched his hands to the pink sky, groaning as his back loosened up a little bit. He twisted his torso and stretched his neck from side to side, trying to get his muscles to work with him. He had to walk up a million steps once again, after all, and he needed his legs to work. 

As he started walking back up the peninsula, he felt like he was being watched. There wasn’t ever anyone out here this early in the morning, though, so he just shook it off. 

“You know, you should come down here more often,” a voice came from off to his right, making him jolt. 

He didn’t see anyone in the increasing light, and his eyebrows scrunched. “Well, I most definitely am losing my mind,” he muttered to himself, slapping his cheeks lightly. “I need to get out more. I should go to the bar and get laid or something.” 

“Look down, dumbass!” the voice laughed. 

Issei blinked and looked over at the edge of the peninsula, where the seawater was near the path he was on. His eyes widened when they settled on the owner of the voice. 

A _merman_ waved at him, a cheeky smile on his face. He was leaning against the rocks, his chin resting in one of his hands as the rest of his body was submerged beneath the water. His tailfin was sticking out slightly, causing small ripples as it twitched. His freckles stood out against his fair skin, pointed ears jutting out from behind his light, strawberry colored hair. He had sharp teeth, from what Issei could tell, and his _tail..._

“Okay, I _definitely_ have lost my mind if I'm seeing a goddamn merman,” Issei shook his head, turning back around. 

“Hey!” the merman slapped the rocks indignantly, and Issei turned to see his face scrunched into a pout. _Cute._ “I’m one hundred percent real, see?” He used his tail to splash water towards Issei, but he dodged it easily enough, though he did get a little bit of water on his boots. 

“Okay, you’re real, I guess, but why are you talking to me?” Issei raised an eyebrow. 

“Just kinda felt like it cause I'm bored,” the merman hummed, slapping his tail on the surface in a nonsense rhythm. “And I wanted your attention cause I see you out here by yourself a lot.” 

“I was under the impression that merpeople weren’t supposed to be seen by humans. At least, that’s what I figured because the seamen always told me they’d see merpeople for an instant before they’d disappear again. I’ve never heard of anyone talking to one.” 

The merman shrugged, swirling his hand in the water, making a small whirlpool. “I don’t really care. I mean, technically we’re not supposed to because everyone’s paranoid we’re going to get hunted for our tails, which I guess is valid if you have a nice tail like mine,” he preened, proudly lifting his tail out of the ocean enough for Issei to see it. “But honestly you just seem kinda lonely whenever you’re out here and I dunno, you’re kinda hot.” 

Issei felt his face heat a little bit at the compliment, but he was also enraptured with the merman’s tail. It was a lovely shimmering turquoise color, stark white stripes crisscrossing in some random pattern. It was all muscle and something told Issei that if he got smacked with that tail, he’d probably get bruised really bad. 

“Can I touch it?” he found himself blurting out as he stared. 

Issei reveled in the flush that crossed the merman’s cheeks at his sudden request. 

“Well you’re... very forward,” he muttered before ducking the lower part of his face underwater, though his tail swished from side to side. He blew bubbles underneath the surface and Issei found it very endearing that this merman was getting so embarrassed, even though he’d been the one to start it. 

“Am I?” Issei smirked, kneeling down near the merman to get closer to him. 

“You don’t just _ask_ a merman you just met to touch his tail!!!” the merman pointed at him accusingly, his face still bright red. 

“Hmm, would you rather I'd just touch it, then?” Issei tried to hide his laughter and jokingly reached down. 

The merman sputtered incredulously before diving back into the waves, leaving Issei dripping wet with the splash he’d caused. Issei wiped the water out of his eyes and laughed, waiting for the merman to resurface with his red face. 

But when he didn’t and there wasn’t any more sign of him, Issei bit his lip, his stomach sinking. 

He hadn’t meant to offend the merman; if anything he’d thought that it was just playful banter. But apparently that wasn’t how they did things underwater. He sighed and wrung out his shirt and swept back his wet bangs, looking back to where the merman had disappeared. He’d thought that maybe, just _maybe,_ he wouldn’t have to be alone anymore. 

*********

Issei kept going down to the rocky peninsula in hopes that he’d see the merman again, but every single time, he had no luck. 

It had been a month when Issei finally reached the end of his rope. He wanted to see the merman again, and he realized _he hadn’t even gotten his name._ He was really grateful that no one was out here this early in the morning, because he might seem absolutely off his rocker if someone saw him do this. He took a deep breath and cupped his hands around his mouth. 

“Wherever you are, I’m sorry I fucked up!!!” he yelled as loud as he possibly could, hoping the merman was somewhere near. “I’m going to keep coming and hopefully you’ll show up again eventually!!!” 

He could’ve sworn he saw the shimmery turquoise of a certain merman’s tail way off in the distance, but it could’ve been a trick of the increasing sunshine. He bit his lip and nodded resolutely. He was going to fix this, even if the merman was weirded out by it. 

Issei found himself at the florist in the town and smiled at the man across the counter from him awkwardly. 

“Can... Can I help you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the haggard lighthouse keeper. His nametag read “Tooru.” 

“Yeah, um... I just... I was getting to know this... person... and I think I might’ve messed up somehow,” Issei rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you know of any flowers that are like... an apology? Like, sorry I offended you, I didn’t know I was and I want to start over.” 

“There are some flowers that represent asking for apologies, yes. How close were you to this person?” Tooru asked. 

“Not very, we talked for maybe a couple minutes but then he just... left. And I haven’t seen him for a month and I'm worried something happened to him, but I'm pretty sure he’s around and I just...” 

Tooru hummed and put a hand on his chin. “Okay, I would say pink carnations, which basically mean ‘I won’t forget you’ and maybe some white orchids. I would say those are the ones you should go with if you’re really sincere about this.” 

“Okay, give me a boquet with six of each of those,” Issei nodded frantically. He wanted to give the merman his truest apology and he just hoped that the flowers would get his intentions across. 

The next morning, right before sunrise, Issei walked out to the rocks where he’d last seen the merman and dipped his feet into the ocean. He shivered but figured that maybe if he was at least a little in the water, he might have a better chance of summoning the merman. 

He spoke loudly, but not really shouting. “I’m sorry if I offended you! I didn’t mean to! And I miss seeing you...” He ended up muttering as he pulled petals off the flowers. He threw them into the ocean, pouting. He missed the merman deeply. “I mean, I know we only talked for a minute but still...” 

He glared at the dark water, his reflection staring back at him. He was going to scream if the merman didn’t show up, honestly. It was maybe a bit obsessive of him but he really liked the quick banter and the wittiness. 

He was about to throw the flowers into the water in frustration when he was hit in the face with some seawater. 

“Desperation is a good look on you,” a singsong voice came from off to his left. 

He swung around and saw the merman, _his_ merman, leaning on the rocks, a cocky smirk on his face as he waved. 

“You _asshole,_ ” Issei grumbled, wiping the water from his face, but unable to stop the relieved tears that welled up in his eyes. “I was so worried that I'd offended you beyond repair or something and I just...” 

“I mean...” the merman fiddled with the flower petals in his hand. “It’s not that, it’s just that I was embarrassed and then my mom found out that I'd talked to a human and she freaked and pretty much put me under house arrest for a while and then...” he sighed. “Yeah.” 

“Um, before we delve into that, can I at least know your name? I mean, it was kinda weird to just think of you as ‘the merman’ this whole time.” 

He snorted. “Yeah, and I've been thinking about you as ‘the human’ so I guess we’re even there.” 

Issei bit his lips. “You’ve been thinking about me too?” 

“Duh,” the merman rolled his eyes. “You’re literally the only human I've ever found worthy to talk to. I mean... you’ve always just been out here on your own, and I thought that... maybe we could become friends or whatever.” 

_“Can I just know your name?!”_ Issei practically begged. 

“Takahiro.” 

“Oh. That’s... that’s a really nice name,” he breathed. 

“Now, can I know yours, or should I just call you mine?” Takahiro winked at him. 

Issei choked on his own spit. “What the hell?! How can you dish it out but you can’t take it?!” 

“Alright, then, you’re mine now,” Takahiro shrugged. 

“Wait! Oh my god, my name’s Issei. Matsukawa Issei. But Issei’s fine.” 

Takahiro’s strong tail swished in the ocean, and it briefly reminded Issei of a dog wagging its tail. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Takahiro that, though. He started to reach out toward his tail but pulled back immediately. 

Takahiro cocked his head to the side as Issei muttered an apology, clutching the flowers in his hand. 

“What are you sorry for?” Takahiro asked. 

“I don’t know, I guess just... I still really want to touch your tail, if only for a second...” he said quietly. “But I don’t want to scare you away again. And I really am sorry if –” 

“Will you stop apologizing already?” Takahiro put a webbed hand on Issei’s thigh, and he jolted at how sudden it was. 

The merman had been like ten feet away not even two seconds before, and he was suddenly close enough for Issei to touch. For him to touch Issei. 

Issei felt his breath catch in his throat and he stared into Takahiro’s smiling eyes, noticing that his pupils were slitted, like a cat’s. “Hmm, this is the closest I’ve ever been to a human before,” he said quietly. 

“Really?” Issei squeaked out and he cursed at himself for how lame that was. 

Takahiro smirked and nodded, Issei’s eyes drawn his sharp teeth that he revealed. Now that he was looking closely at the merman, Issei realized that even though he looked mostly human from his waist up, he still had scales scattered all over his body. They were translucent, but shimmered as Takahiro moved in the sunlight. 

His arms were muscled, and he pulled himself practically into Issei’s lap, with his tail dangling in between Issei’s legs, swinging in the ocean. They were face-to-face, and Issei found himself wanting to put his hands anywhere on Takahiro’s body but wasn’t sure what the merman would consider appropriate. 

“You can touch me, you know, I’m pretty strong.” Takahiro’s breath whispered over Issei’s lips and he licked his own before dropping the crushed flowers into the ocean. 

He put his hands on Takahiro’s waist, where his human torso faded into a fish’s body, and Takahiro’s breath hitched while Issei’s eyes widened with wonder. His torso was warm, which Issei would’ve expected, but bottom half of his body was a little bit cooler to the touch, and... softer somehow. 

“So, like... I can touch your tail?” Issei almost whined, he wanted to feel those powerful muscles under his palms. 

Takahiro shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” 

“Fuck yes,” Issei growled, finally allowing his hands to go down the sides of Takahiro’s tail. 

It twitched as he ran his fingers along the crisscrossing lines of white, and Takahiro’s webbed hands dug into Issei’s thighs. 

“You okay? Is it too much?” Issei pulled his hands back, putting them on Takahiro’s cheeks. _Oh._ He had little jagged scales on his face near his ears, which Issei hadn’t noticed at first. He ran his fingers over the rough patch, utterly entranced. 

Takahiro wrapped his arms around Issei’s neck and pulled himself fully into Issei’s lap, laying his tail across Issei’s thighs, flapping it playfully. “It’s fine. It’s really nice,” he said huskily into Issei’s ear. “More.” 

“Okay,” Issei said, looking down at the tail fully exposed. It was even more gorgeous than it had been when he’d seen it in the water. The turquoise was beautiful, and Issei noticed that the crisscrossing wasn’t as random as he’d thought it’d been. It was almost like a plaid pattern, and there was some dark green in Takahiro’s tail as well. 

He felt Takahiro’s hands go into his hair and with the webbing in between his fingers, it was a bit of an odd sensation. “Your hair’s really curly,” Takahiro said, petting the fluffy curls with wonder. 

“Yeah, guess you don’t really have curly hair underwater, do you?” Issei asked, still running his fingers over Takahiro’s tail. 

“No, not really. I mean, it’s... water, our hair’s pretty much always all over the place,” Takahiro shrugged. “That’s why mine’s this length instead of whatever bullshit you humans think mermaid hair should be.” 

Issei nodded, looking at Takahiro’s face. He was a beautiful man, and Issei was glad that Takahiro had chosen to reveal himself. “So... what’s going to happen next?” he wondered idly. 

“What do you mean?” Takahiro asked, looking Issei in the eyes. 

“I mean... I feel like whatever’s happening here is like... _super_ intimate in your culture.” 

Takahiro shrugged. “I mean, yeah, we don’t go around touching each other’s tails. That’d just be fucking weird. It’d be like if you humans went around touching each other’s legs.” 

Issei snorted at that. “Yeah, I guess that would be really weird. But... seriously, are you going to be like put to death for fraternizing with a human like me?” 

Takahiro shrugged. “I doubt it. My mom was just mad, but I think she knows by now that I break rules all the time anyway.” 

“So we can keep seeing each other?” Issei tried to keep the hope out of his voice just in case. 

“Why not?” Takahiro asked, drawing closer to Issei’s face. “I want to get to know you better and like you, and it seems like you like me too, so I don’t see the problem.” 

Issei smiled, running one hand up to the back of Takahiro’s neck to coax him into a kiss. 

The merman was all too willing to smash his lips against Issei’s, and when the two of them pulled back, they were grinning wildly. 

“Y’know, those teeth of yours look dangerous,” Issei noted. 

“Would you like to find out?” Takahiro playfully bared his teeth, showing off _many more rows of teeth._

“ _Oh._ Wow. That’s... What big teeth you have,” Issei chuckled. 

“I know, right! I am a carnivore, after all.” 

“Really? Isn’t that like... cannibalism, though? Cause you’re a fish?” 

Takahiro smacked Issei’s chest, which had a lot more force than he would’ve expected because of the webbing. “No! It’s not like cannibalism because I'm _not_ a fish, thank you very much.” 

“Uh-huh. Then what do you call this whole half of you?” Issei reached down and grabbed the fin at the end of Takahiro’s tail, teasingly waving it at him. 

It twitched in his hold, and Takahiro had to hold himself close to Issei as not to fall off his lap. 

“It’s a _tail._ Like... I dunno, if humans had one leg or something.” 

Issei snorted. “What kind of comparison is that?” 

Takahiro laughed with him, a melodic sound. 

“I dunno! I don’t know anything about humans, okay?! It’s not like we can magically grow legs and walk around like you guys.” 

“Really?” Issei cocked his head to the side. “Don’t you guys have magic, though?” 

“I swear if you say _anything_ about The Little Mermaid, the movie _or_ the fairy tale, I will smack you with my tail and never speak to you again. And believe me, when you get smacked with a tail, it fucking _hurts,_ ” Takahiro held up his hand. 

“Okay, then, never mind.” 

“Good.” 

The two of them sat there for a while, just enjoying each other's warmth and watching the sun rise before Issei started to get sleepy. 

“I should probably get back to my place,” he yawned. 

“Mmkay,” Takahiro said, also a bit drowsy as he cuddled into Issei more. 

“Are you all nocturnal?” Issei suddenly wondered. 

Takahiro shrugged. “It’s pretty varied, I suppose. Some like the sun so they stay close to the surface and that’s what the seamen see. But others prefer the deep waters and never come up from there.” 

“Which are you?” 

“Mmm, I suppose I'm more of a night mer, since you’re awake during the night too. You’ve got to make sure the lights are still burning all night, right?” 

“Yep. That’s my job,” Issei nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of Takahiro’s head, tasting sea salt. “Your hair’s practically dry.” 

“Oh.” Takahiro patted his head. “You’re right.” 

“Will you die if you’re out of the water for too long?” 

“I dunno, would you die if you were out in the ocean for too long?” Takahiro snickered. 

Issei rolled his eyes and promptly threw Takahiro back into the ocean, amazed at his own strength. 

“ISSEI YOU DICK!!!” Takahiro shrieked as he flew towards the water. 

Issei cackled and Takahiro was immediately back at his side, ruthlessly splashing water on him with his tail as he spat out curses. 

“That was completely and totally worth it, I have zero regrets!!!” Issei laughed, playfully splashing Takahiro back but obviously without the same effect. 

“I’m mad at you now, I’m never going to speak to you again,” Takahiro huffed after Issei was fully doused. His tail twitched irritably, but still within Issei’s reach. 

So, he took the invitation and grabbed Takahiro’s tail and pulled him back and planted an overexaggerated kiss on his lips. “Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that,” he smiled. 

Takahiro was definitely going to keep seeing this human, if only for the way he smiled. He’d never seen someone look at him that way before, and it made butterflies flutter around his stomach. Issei was definitely a keeper, no matter what anyone else said. 

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 2 - Flowers
> 
> i feel like the amount of times i accidentally typed “semen” instead of “seamen” would make Mattsun and Makki very proud, even though the word only appears like five times fdjklsghoiajg.
> 
> ~~me yesterday: probs not gonna write any more for the boys bc homework :(~~  
>  ~~me today: GUESS WHAT ALMOST 4000 WORDS OF MERMAN AU WHICH YOU'VE NEVER WRITTEN BEFORE BUT LESSGO BITCH~~


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